Friday was a good night to be a member of the San Diego Symphony’s brass section.

The Masterworks program in Copley Symphony Hall opened with Verdi’s Overture to “La forza del destino,” with its majestic, choral-like sections for brass. And it closed with Berlioz’s “Symphonie Fantastique,” where the final two movements in particular (the “March to the Scaffold” and “Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath”) provide the brass and winds with a dazzling and demanding workout.

They responded with their best playing of the season, showing unusual warmth and unanimity in the Verdi, and both power and finesse in the Berlioz.

Although conductor Jahja Ling treated the first three movements of the “Symphonie Fantastique” as if they were mere prologue to the more extroverted, over-the-top final two movements, with the orchestra’s good graces those final two movements delivered the goods.

It was a good night to be a piano soloist w ith the orchestra.

Ling and the ensemble were in an extremely receptive and agreeable mood in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, one of Mozart’s best known concertos (sometimes called “Elvira Madigan” as the Andante was used in the 1967 Swedish film). They provided soloist Jeremy Denk with the support and flexibility he needed.

Denk, who also made a strong impression when he performed earlier this year in the La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest, isn’t someone who learns an interpretation and then executes it in public. His playing has a rare presence to it, a sense of being in the moment.

That apparently comes from his innate sense of curiosity. He never did anything outside the box (with the possible exception of his first movement cadenza). Everything was tasteful and elegant. Yet, even within Mozart’s relatively tight stylistic boundaries, he played with a spirit of exploration. He kept you guessing about what he was going to do next — how he might shape a phrase, change dynamics, or pick up on the articulation of the orchestra in their musical conversation.

It was a good night to be a member of the string section. Especially in the Verdi and Mozart, they also played with welcome vibrancy and singleness of purpose.